Railway switch



May 15, 1928.

' E. R. 'EDSON RAILWAY SWITCH hum/772', E/ma/ 54 5011 3 6/) 4/702 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1927 May 15, 192

1,669,742 E. R. EDSON RAILWAY SWITCH Filed A ril 18. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet .2

ffqil //7V/7/a/' E/mer i Z din/7.

Patented Ma 15, 1928.

ELMER n. nnson, or- PORTLAND, OREGON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Application filed; April is,

My invention relates to my United States Patent Number 1,612,271, issued to me under dateot' December 28, 1926, for a railway track and rail; my invention also relatesto patent applications filed concurrently herewith, two in number, one upon a newand improved switch, Serial No. 184,686, and the other upon railway road bed and track con struction, Serial No. 184,685.

I My present invent'on relates to a sw 1tch ing device adapted more particularly for use upon a railway track wherein a guide heel is associatedwith the rail to prevent the jumping of the track of the vehicle with which thesupport and guide wheels are associated when the same are propelled at fairly high speeds, and consists primarily of hinged elements which are adapted to ali nmentwith the mainline of thefrailway and which are also adapted to being moved laterally to permit of the same meeting in ali nment withthe side track or switch line. I 'The primary object of my invention is to provide a suitable mechanism for switching trains adapted to rapidtransit, as evidenced in my patent and applications therefor aforesaid. r V y A further object of my device consists in moving but one end of the switch laterally, the other end venting the necessity of forming frogs or cross-overs which distort and cut away much of the supporting element of the ra1l. structhereupon engages. 1

A still further object of my invention re-' side in providing alignment devices that are precise in the positioning of the rail structure, which makes 1 vehicles and trains therealong at relatively I high speeds.

A further object of my invention consists in providing a section ofth e' main line that maybe moved at one end lnto engagement with the side track or switching track, meansbeing provided to automatically raise one of the railsof the side track to permit of such connection and tomaintainthe precise alignment of the switched portion of the main line with that of the side track or switching track.

A still further object of my invention con- .sists. in proyiding hmgedrlationship of the being in hinged relationship with the rails of themain l1ne,thus preture upon which the vehicle to be propelled it possible to propel 1927. Serial No. 18 L687.

cross connectingelements ot' the main line rails and supporting beams to maintain the same in substantially the same spaced relationsliip during such switching operation.

And still further objects of mylinvention consist in providing new andnovel and useful means for locking the switching portion of the main line in placed position;

Vith theseand incidental objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, the essential elements of which are setforth in the appended claims, and a preterred form of embodiment of which is hereinafter shown with reference to the drawings which accompany and form apart of this specification.

In the drawings i Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partially in sectiou, of the switching portion of the main line track shown in position relative to the main line.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, of the mechanism, illustrated in Fig. ,1, showing the switch thrown for engagement with the side track or switching track.

is an end sectional view, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated. v i 1 i Fig. 4 is an end sectional view, taken on line H of Fig.1, looking in the direction indicated, the same being made to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the? mechanism forthe lateral movement ofthe switching portion of the mainline section.

Fig. 5 is a sectional "de elevatiomtaken ,on line of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated, the same being a. detailed view of the automatic mechanismfor lifting a hinged element of one portion of the rail of the switching or side track, the same also illustrating the trunnion support for the mainline switch section. I h

Fig. 6 is a. fragmentary side elevation, taken on line ,6 6 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. Tis a top plan view, takenonline 7i of Fig. 6, looking in the directionindicated. y Fig. 8 is a fragmentary top plan View, partiallyin section, of the hinge disposed in the rail sect-ionv of a side track or switching line. f

. Fig. 9 isa fragmentary-end View, of the lit.

preferred embodiment of the locking device for locking the main line rails,or the switching line rails, in precise placed position.

like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

1 and 2 are the main line rails. and .l and l are the switching rails of the main line which are in hinged relationship therewith.

I have found that bestresults are obtained wherein the hinged position of the hinging rails are not in the same line relative to a right angle drawn between the two main lindseetions, as each hinging center should be an equal distance from the line illustrated at 5 in Fig. 1. These rails are in hinged relationship. as illustrated in Fig. (5. wherein web sections ol beams T and 8 termlllij the structural t-upport For the rails 2 and E .t"'ili away to pcrni t ot a totaling oi the tear ng-"fl and to of the lance rc'f if oi the beanie. one member of each section being oil set to permit oi its tamagement with the oppositely disposed tlanege ot' the adjacent member with journal pins 11 and 1:2 being placed thercthrough to form a hinged joint between the beams T and ti. The rail sections 1 and 3 are hinged together as illustrated in Fig. T. wherein the rail section 3 which is, secured to the beam 8 and the rail section 1, which is secured to the beam 7 are in hingctl relationship by having the under suction of one concave and the oppositely disposed engaging: end section convex to form a working: relationship between the rail sections without the undue longitudinal cutting of the hearing or wearing.section oi the rail. The cross support 13 connecting the longitudinal beams of the supporting rails 3 and a is journaled about journal pins 1 1 and 15 each of which operates within bearings 16 and 17 of the terminal end sections 18 and 1!) that are directly secured to the main longitudinal beam sections by any suitable fastening means. as by being riveted thereto. Because of the hinging of the rail sections to the supporting cross beam, relative to the main line, there will be a tendency for the rail sections to vary in relative distances apart laterally during lateral movement. should be so placed as to The cross beam 1:) compensate for this change in distance. The angle to which the switch opening is made relative to the main line should be made relatively small to obviate this difliculty. \Vhile there will be a slight ditlerence in spaced relationship of the rails during the movement of the switch the placed position can he made to conform to the original spacing when the switching section is in the main line, and by so doing the switch elements can be made to work satisfactorily for the purpose intended. A multiple of supporting tracks 20, i1. 22 and 23 are provided upon which trunnion wheels are made to engage, as illustrated at 24 in Fig. 5. These trunnion wheels should be otsullicient length to give a full bearing upon the supporting rail .l. disposed thereunder. The trunnion wheels are mounted upon shal'ts that operate within bracket bearings 26 and 27. The rack .28 is secured to the beam 8 and passes throughithe gear box 25. .I)isposed within the gear box is shaft. 30 having secured thereto apinion in registerable alignment with the rack The shaft pinion and the racl; being operated and positioned through the manipulation of the. hand wheel 31.

During the manipulation of the switch. track section, and the positioning; of the same through theoperationof the associated elements comprising the gear rack and the pinion; it. is necessary to raise the rail section 32 to clear the same. when operated. The same is accomplished by the mechanism i ltnirated in Fig. 4- and in Fig. 5. wherein the shoe 3 3 contacts with the push rod 34 and depresses the same against. a compression spring 2.53" (llf pojed thereabout. As the push rod contacts with the lever 36 journaled about. the cross sha it 37 the oppositely disposed end of the lever 30 is raised and the link :38 connect ng the outwardly disposed end of the lever B and the rail section. with which it is in hinged relationship raises the rail section 32 about the journal 39. After the rail'section 1 has passed the hinged rail end 32 the shoe 3-3 passes over the compression rod 3i and the hinged rail section 32 is permitted to return to its normal depressed IJOEI'itiOIl. After the track unit has been approximately positioned. the shaft 42' ha ving disposed thereupon two positioning shoes ell and 42, as illustrated in Fig. l), are turned up to engage the under side of the longitudinal beams and position the same into.

precise alignment. The shaft 43 upon which the shoes 41 and 42 are poritioncd is operated through the hand ()ptlttltlllg lever -14; secured to the shaft 43.

Shouldithe desired to raise the hinged rail section 32 for any reason. when the shoe 33 is not contacting with the compression element 3%, the overrotation ot the lever iiand the shatt lil associated therewith. will cause the. lug *l?) to engage the lift link ell; and to engage the projsartin; pawl 17 on tho upper end thcreol' and will raise the. lever 36 and. the hinged rail :an'tion $32 hingedly secured thereto: this mechanism is illustrated in detail in 5.

\Vhile the form of mechanism herein lllt)\\'ll and de cribed is. admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated. it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein shown and described. as it. is susceptible of embodiment in various terms, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow;

l/Vhat I claim is:

till

Inn

mew/42 disposed outwardly from one side of the switching section, a pinion associated with said rack and means for actuating the pinion.

2. In a device oi the class described, the combination of a main line track and a switching track. a switching section of track disposed within the main line track and hingedly secured thereto by each rail section of one end of the main line track being hinged to the oppositely disposed ends of the switching track, means for imparting a lateral movement to one end of the switching track section and means for raising and lowering one rail section of the switching track.

In a device of the class described, the combination of a switching track section of a railway being hingedly disposed relative to the main line track of a railway, means for impartinga lateral movement of one end of the switching track section, to substantially align the same with the switching track and means for a precise positioning of the switching track section consisting of a horizontal shaft having shoes positioned thereupon and means for rotating the shaft to cause the shoes to engage the'underside of the rail supports ofthe switching track section.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main line railway track and a switch line track, of a switching secof the rails of the switch track out of the tion of track normally disposed, as abridge, to fill in a break or gap in the main line tracks, the railsof said switching section being hinged at their fulcrumed ends to the main line rails, and being adapted for lateral movement at their free ends to afiord alignment with the rails of the switch line track, the spacing of the movable ends of the rails of the switching section being regulated by a pivotally mounted spacing beam disposed transversely between the rails, said spacing beam being set at such an angle to the rails that the distance between their movable ends will be the same, when moved into position for switching operations, as it was when the switch rails were set in alignment with the rails of the main line track.

5. In a railway switch, the combination with a main line track and a switch track, of a switching section provided within the main line track having one end thereof adapted for lateral movement into alignment with the aforesaid switchtrack, including means for accomplishing such movement, and means for raising an end of one line of movement of the switching section, which comprises a vertically rockable end section provided for said rail, a pivoted lever including a link connecting said lever to said end section, a push rod adapted ,for rocking the aforesaid lever,and a shoe carried by the switching section adapted for contacting with and depressing said push rod when such switching section ismoved laterally as aforesaid.

6. A railway switch as claimed in claim 5 including means for locking said switching section against movement, and means coop erating with the latching means for raising the aforesaid end section independently of the aforesaid shoe and push rod means.

ELMER R. EDSON. 

